The Perfect Woman
by Kristen3
Summary: Set after "The Maris Counselor." Daphne comes home to find the younger Dr. Crane heartbroken. Can her belief in love and happy endings make him see that what he wants is right in front of him? Birthday one-shot for Pat (Pat2Trivia4Me).


**Author's Note:** When I realized it was Pat ( **Pat2Trivia4Me** )'s birthday, I knew I wanted to write a story for him. I didn't have ideas, but thanks to a lovely suggestion from Melinda ( **carylfan10** ), I decided to watch "Maris Counselor" and see what occurred to me. This, of course, is the result, and I can't thank Pat or Melinda enough for the inspiration they constantly give me. :)

Daphne breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the door. She flipped on the light so that she could see to make her way to her room. What she saw caused her to gasp in surprise. There, on her boss' couch, sat the younger Dr. Crane. He didn't appear to be aware of her presence, or even to have noticed that the light had been turned on. He stared into space, looking sadder than she'd ever seen him. "Dr. Crane, are you all right?"

The sound of his name brought Niles to the present. He turned to find Daphne standing in the doorway. "Oh. Um…." He was touched beyond words by her compassion, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her what had happened tonight. A nervous laugh escaped. "What are you doing here? Frasier told me you had gone to a wedding."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "The reception was the dullest thing I've ever been to in me life. I snuck out. I don't even think anyone noticed I was gone."

"Well, that's too bad," Niles said, not knowing what else to say. He sighed.

"Dr. Crane, you're not all right, are you?" Daphne asked, moving closer to him. Instinctively, she felt his forehead. He wasn't sick.

Niles could hardly believe it as she touched him. He looked up at her in surprise.

"You don't have a temperature, so I'm guessing that, whatever's troubling you, it isn't physical." She sat down beside him.

Niles shook his head. "Unless you count a broken heart."

"I'm sorry," Daphne said, squeezing his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Niles turned away, unable to look at her.

"I know I'm not a psychiatrist like you or your brother, but I'll listen," Daphne said.

Niles dared to turn to her. He could see in her eyes that she cared about him. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about what he'd been through, but he knew he often told his patients that talking about one's problems usually did more good than holding them in. "I went over to Maris' tonight, hoping we could….reconcile. But when I got to her bedroom, I found Dr. Schenkman there. Our marriage counselor. They're having an affair."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Daphne said, squeezing his hand once more.

"It's my fault. I guess I wasn't enough for her. And of course _I_ was the one who suggested counseling, and I found Schenkman in the first place."

"That's rubbish," Daphne said immediately. "You may have introduced them, but it was Mrs. Crane who chose to have an affair. You can't blame yourself."

Niles sighed again. "I've just been sitting here, thinking. Mom cheated on Dad once, Lilith did the same to Frasier, and now this. What's the point of it all? Why do we put ourselves through this, if we just end up hurting?"

Daphne reached over and hugged him. While he did not return her affection, he didn't push her away. "We do it because we hope that we'll meet the right person, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed I'd meet a handsome prince, and end up living in a castle somewhere. Me brothers thought I was daft, of course, but I wouldn't listen to them."

"Really?" Niles asked. He was astonished that she could still believe in such things. But, then, she was far too sweet and innocent to ever be a pessimist.

Daphne nodded. "That's why I came here to Seattle. I've always had a feeling that I'd find me true love here. Even though it seems crazy, I still think it'll happen one day."

Suddenly, Niles realized that he hoped she was right. If anyone deserved to have all her dreams come true, it would be her. Even if he ended up alone and miserable, she should be happy. "Even though my life hasn't been great lately, I wish you the best of luck with yours."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. I knew you wouldn't make fun of me dreams the way your brother would. And I don't think you should give up on yourself just yet, either. Mrs. Crane may not be the one, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea. You'll find someone." She thought about all of the operas, wine club events and fancy dinner parties he and his brother attended. Surely some woman would be interested in him.

Niles laughed, but it felt forced. "I don't know, Daphne. The way I feel right now, the idea of offering my heart to another woman…..it's more than I can even think about."

"That's all right. It'll take a while to get over this, and when you do, you might find that the perfect woman is right in front of you."

Her choice of words surprised him. There could never be anyone more worthy of the title of _perfect woman_ than the one sitting next to him. He loved her, there was no denying that. But now was hardly the moment to reveal his feelings. His heart needed time to heal. It was exactly what he would tell a patient in this situation, and it was no less true for him. Once he'd found a way to put the pieces of his shattered heart back together, he might just find the very thing Daphne had mentioned: a perfect woman, and more happiness than he could ever imagine.

 **The End**


End file.
